How the Woodland Trust is governed:
The Woodland Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales (No. 294344) and with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator in Scotland (No. SC038885).
It is also a non-profit making company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No. 1982873.
The Trust has obtained the consent of the Registrar of Companies not to use the word ‘Limited’ in its name.
The registered office is at: Kempton Way, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 6LL.
Key documents from the Board's Governance Manual
Trust names
The Trust is known as: The Woodland Trust
Working names also include:
- The Woodland Trust in Scotland
- The Woodland Trust in Northern Ireland
- Coed Cadw or the Woodland Trust in Wales
Memorandum and articles of association
According to the Woodland Trust’s memorandum and articles of association:
‘The objects of the Trust are to conserve restore and re-establish trees and in particular broad-leaved trees, plants and all forms of wildlife and thereby to secure and enhance the enjoyment by the public of the natural environment'.
The Trust’s memorandum and articles of association (PDF)
Our Board of trustees
Under charity law the Woodland Trust is governed by a Board of trustees, who are volunteers. The trustees are also ‘directors’ under company law.
So ultimately, all our legal responsibilities lie with our trustees. They agree the Trust’s direction, policies, key strategies, overall budget, staffing levels and how our performance is measured.
The Board delegates the day-to-day responsibilities of the Trust to the chief executive, the principal officers and other Trust staff. The executive staff report to trustees through Board meetings or one of its Committees.
Key documents from the Board's Governance Manual
Committees
There are currently two committees:
The Finance Committee, which also acts as an Audit Committee, a Remuneration Committee and an Investment Committee.
The Board Affairs Committee.
Key documents from the Board's Governance Manual
Funding and expenditure
The Woodland Trust, as a charity, relies heavily on voluntary support. Over 65 per cent of our income is generated from our supporters and the public through membership subscriptions, appeals, legacies.
Commercial sponsorship and grants from charitable trusts and bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Forestry Commission accounts for almost 25 per cent of our funding.
Typically, at least 77p in every pound is spent directly on our charitable aims, based on a five-year average.
Further details can be found within our latest Annual Review and Annual Accounts.
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) deals with the adoption of the Annual Accounts, and the appointment of auditors. The trustees, who are the Trust’s members under company law, attend the AGM.
Woodland Trust subsidaries
The Woodland Trust has two wholly-owned subsidiary companies:
- Woodland Trust (Enterprises) Limited (Company No. 2296645)
- Woodland Trust Farming Limited (Company No. 06360791)
The principal activities of Woodland Trust (Enterprises) Limited are sponsorship and commercial promotions in support of the Woodland Trust, lotteries and the sale of goods by mail order.
The principle activity of Woodland Trust Farming Limited is farming on land owned by the Woodland Trust.
All profits earned by these two companies are donated to the Woodland Trust under Gift Aid.